Our big picture for the Sherwood Forest Futurescape is landscape-scale conservation, which is basically the principles of making existing sites better and bigger, creating new sites, and connecting them all together. Within a big picture there are finer details and some of those are the species that make an area special and act as a springboard for people’s greater engagement, understanding and care of the area.
I’m going to mention two of those species in this blog. Firstly, a minor brush stroke of detail – the midas tree-weaver spider (Midia midas). The size of pinhead it lives in old birds’ nests in cavities in veteran trees, with a very restricted distribution in the England to ancient woodland/wood pasture sites. It is of UK conservation concern because of declines; see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/_speciespages/2429.pdf and http://www.arachnida.org.uk/portal/p/Summary/s/Midia+midas for more details. Start losing these small brush strokes and there’s suddenly a hole in the picture. I prefer to appreciate a picture without blank patches – would we be concerned if part of the Mona Lisa was lost?
Not recorded in Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve since 1978 the search is on to find it again by Nottinghamshire County Council and Natural England with support from other partners (local volunteers, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Entomological Society, Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group, RSPB, Sherwood Forest Trust and Thoresby Estate). There was a training event last week that I attended, led by Lawrence Bee, the last person to find midas tree-weaver spider in Sherwood.
Sherwood Forest NNR is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year – it would be a fitting tribute if the precious midas tree-weaver spider was found in a diamond year.
Does midas tree-weaver spider live here? © Carl Cornish
A species that more readily captures the imagination is the nightjar and is a key to opening up Sherwood Forest at dusk and then night. I lead 16 people on a nightjar walk on Saturday 31st May with Nottinghamshire County Council rangers Claire Watson and Charleen Case. I never cease to enjoy the feeling of expectation when standing in a forest clearing, as the light starts to fade, waiting for the churr of the nightjar to start. Then the thrill (and relief when leading a walk) of hearing that strange sound as a male starts his song. We were treated to close views as a male flew into a dead tree in front of us, churring on the edge of his territory to another bird behind us on the track. For several people on the walk, it was the first time they’d heard and seen a nightjar – always a pleasure to help people connect with special wildlife.
Earlier in the evening, a cuckoo was calling and a woodcock was flying over his territory, a display known as roding. On the walk back, several young tawny owls were heard calling.
Nottinghamshire County Council have organised further walks to see some of the other special species of Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, including glow worms (Saturday 14th and 28th June) and the Welsh clearwing moth (Saturday 21st June). Booking on walks is essential, call 01623 823202. See Sherwood Forest NNR website for further details.
The RSPB Mansfield Local Group is at Sherwood Forest on Sunday 22nd June, 10am to 3pm.